1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to rifle holding devices which can be mounted in the rear of a truck cab, and in particular, to a rifle support rack which has a plurality of fins disposed thereon to hold a rifle firmly and securely within the rack without the need for a retaining strap.
2. Prior Art
The use of racks to hold rifles and other sporting equipment, such as bows, fishing rods, etc, is well known. Typically, racks used to hold sporting equipment include a generally U-shaped body for receiving a portion of the stock, and a strap attachable to both sides of the U-shaped body and positionable over the portion of the stock. The strap serves to hold the stock within U-shaped body and prevent accidental removal.
When hunting, people usually go to remote locations which are often far from any regularly maintained roads. To travel to the desire location, a four wheel drive vehicle is often used. Frequently, the four wheel drive vehicle is a pick-up truck. In most pick-up trucks, the most convenient place to hold the rifles to be used during the hunting trip is at the back of the cab behind the heads of the occupants. However, because the vehicle will often be bouncing over rough roads, a strap is used to hold the stock of the rifle within the U-shaped body. See e.g. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,078,279 and 5,344,032.
In accordance with the teachings of the prior art, it has been believed that failure to include a strap was dangerous. If a rifle were placed in the U-shaped body without a strap, any sudden bump could cause the rifle to bounce out of the holding device. Because the rifle is disposed behind the heads of the vehicle's occupants, the unattached rifle would likely hit the occupants in the head. With large rifles, the force involved due to a large bump could be sufficient to render a person unconscious. Thus, by providing straps, the prior art has attempted to prevent such accidents from occurring.
A problem with straps is that they limit the access of the user to the rifle. Thus, for example, if a hunter sees the desired game from the road, he or she must turn to remove the straps so that the rifle can be removed from the rack. Once the rifle is in hand, the hunter must then exit the truck and relocate the game. Those familiar with hunting will realize that this is often difficult, as the game may have moved. Likewise, for game which blends in with the surrounding foliage, the hunter will often notice the game because of movement. However, once he or she loses sight of the game, it will be difficult to relocate due to its similarity with its surroundings.
Yet another problem with the presently available racks for mounting in trucks is that the straps are occasionally difficult to remove. This is especially true when the hands of the hunter are cold, as is often the case during fall and winter hunting seasons. To further complicate matters, the strap may be frayed twisted or otherwise difficult to unlatch.
For these reasons, a hunter might unlatch the strap upon entering the hunting area. However, this is dangerous as the rifle might jar lose and strike the hunter in the back of the head if the truck encounters a sudden obstruction in the road.
One exception to the prior art teachings of straps to hold the rifle in the support rack is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,607,772. The rack in this patent is designed to fit a motorcycle adjacent the handle bars. Because motorcycles are generally not used for extremely rough roads (especially when carrying a rifle), and because a rifle mounted adjacent the handle bars can easily be steadied by the rider, the patent teaches a rifle support which has a utility holding device with resilient caps and an angled upper end. Once the rifle is in place, the holding devices are turned to lock the devices into forceful engagement with the rifle. In the alternative to rubber caps, FIG. 4 of the patent shows an embodiment with an upper end which substantially completes a loop, and an embodiment in which a number of plastic finger-like projections maintain contact with the rifle as the generally U-shaped utility devices are rotated into forceful contact with the rifle. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, this rotatable engagement would generally be impractical in a truck and the back window of the cab would interfere with rotation and would require the person removing the rifle to turn into a position not normally assumed in the truck cab.
To overcome the disadvantages associated with the prior art, there is a need for a device which securely holds the rifle when held in a rack, but which does not require the use of a strap or the use of rotatable support devices. Such a device should allow the user to easily remove the rifle without looking, but retain the rifle securely as the truck passes over uneven terrain.